Electoral process neither free nor fair, says Aaditya Thackeray

Former Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray on Thursday met AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal here days after the latter received a defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections.

Thackeray, however, called the electoral process neither free nor fair and blamed the Election Commission for its alleged biased approach.

“In this election, the Election Commission played a significant role. The BJP had the ‘blessings of the Election Commission’ and the saffron party should be grateful for that,” Thackeray said after his meeting with the top AAP leader.

A day before meeting Kejriwal, Thackeray on Wednesday spoke to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, their key INDIA bloc ally whose party contested the Delhi elections separately.

“All parties must now think about their next steps because our elections are no longer free and fair. We will continue to fight in the interest of the nation. We will continue to raise the voice of the people. If we have to take to the streets for the country’s welfare, we will do so,” he said.

The AAP and the Congress, both members of the INDIA bloc, contesting separately in the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections appeared to have been a key factor in splitting the anti-BJP vote which ultimately resulted in the latter’s emphatic victory by securing 48 of the 70 seats in the Assembly.

Even during the poll campaigns, the top leadership of both INDIA bloc allies had attacked each other.

Thackeray said AAP and the Congress would conduct their own reviews of the Delhi elections, but the friendship within the INDIA alliance would remain intact.

“It is crucial to analyse how votes were manipulated in several places because the Election Commission has deprived people of their voting rights. A discussion on this issue is necessary,” he said.